Chapter 159
After dinner the ladies gather on the terrace to sew baby clothes a...
On the terrace were assembled all the ladies of the party. They always liked sitting there after dinner, and that day they had work to do there too. Besides the sewing and knitting of baby clothes, with which all of them were busy, that afternoon jam was being made on the terrace by a method new to Agafea Mihalovna, without the addition of water. Kitty had introduced this new method, which had been in use in her home. Agafea Mihalovna, to whom the task of jam-making had always been intrusted, considering that what had been done in the Levin household…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"feminine parliament,”"
Context: Arriving on the terrace where ladies talked privately
Man excluded from women's council.
In Today's Words:
Levin apologizes for breaking in on the feminine parliament when he finds the ladies silent about what they discussed. He perceives they were talking of something they would not share before him. Tolstoy names a social structure: the terrace as politics without men. Levin's joke masks mortification Kitty will notice on their walk.
"settled by the eyes, by smiles."
Context: Recalling how her own proposal happened
Courtship without speeches.
In Today's Words:
The princess tells Kitty that proposals are always the same: settled by the eyes, by smiles. Dolly assents from her own memory. The line contrasts Sergey's expected forest declaration with older tacit understandings. Tolstoy links generations of women through one phrase while jam boils beside them.
"I fancy he will make her an offer today."
Context: Predicting Sergey and Varenka in French on the terrace
Hope stated as forecast.
In Today's Words:
Kitty tells her mother she fancies Sergey will make Varenka an offer today while they discuss the match in French Agafea Mihalovna cannot follow. Excitement and pregnancy make the prediction feel certain. Tolstoy uses Kitty's faith to heighten tension before the woods scene. Tolstoy uses this moment to show how private feeling becomes visible through ordinary social language, and readers can apply the same lens when interpreting everyday speech around major life transitions.
"Horrid, repulsive woman—no heart,” said her mother, who could not forget that Kitty had married not Vronsky, but Levin."
Context: On Anna when past loves arise
Maternal bitterness toward Anna.
In Today's Words:
The princess calls Anna a horrid, repulsive woman with no heart when talk touches Vronsky and Kitty's old unhappiness. She never forgave Anna's role or Kitty's marriage to Levin instead. Kitty flushes and tries to stop the subject as Levin's steps approach. Tolstoy shows how Anna haunts even distant country peace.
Thematic Threads
Anna's shadow
In This Chapter
Princess calls Anna horrid and repulsive.
Development
Contrasts Kitty's luck with Anna's exile.
In Your Life:
Past scandals linger in family talk long after.
Domestic turf
In This Chapter
Agafea Mihalovna fights the waterless jam.
Development
Parallel to Levin's Shtcherbatsky displacement.
In Your Life:
Small household battles stand in for bigger belonging fights.
Proposal anticipation
In This Chapter
Kitty expects Sergey to offer today.
Development
Sets up camomile game and forest walk.
In Your Life:
Communities often rehearse a couple's next step before it happens.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
Why do the ladies speak French on the terrace?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
They discuss matchmaking and sensitive past affairs without Agafea Mihalovna understanding, keeping servants outside intimate conversation.
- 2
What does settled by the eyes, by smiles suggest about courtship?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Mutual understanding often precedes formal words; the princess and Dolly remember recognition more than speeches.
- 3
Why does the princess call Anna horrid and repulsive?
application • mediumOne way to read it
She resents Anna's role in Kitty's past with Vronsky and never accepted the moral shadow Anna represents now that Kitty married Levin.
- 4
What does Levin mean by feminine parliament?
application • deepOne way to read it
The terrace functions as a women's council debating marriage and morality, which halts when he arrives because the talk was not meant for him.
- 5
When have you entered a conversation that clearly changed subject?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
The feminine parliament pattern names how groups discuss people and plans privately until an outsider's step forces performance of normal talk.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Two Conversations on the Terrace
Split the terrace scene: what the ladies discuss before Levin arrives versus what they say after. What topics vanish?
Consider:
- •Include offer today
- •Include eyes and smiles
- •Include feminine parliament
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time you sensed people had been talking about you or someone you love before you joined.
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 160
Walking alone with Levin, Kitty will address the shade of mortification on his face and pluck camomile petals to guess whether Sergey proposes today. Kitty welcomes a walk alone with Levin because she noticed the shade of mortification on his face when the terrace went silent at his question. On the dusty road she clings to his arm.
